Lloyd McIntyre and Mark Otte
lmcintyre@hastings.edu
motte@nelhs.org
A school faculty is a collection of individuals united behind a common mission, to educate. The individuals on the faculty must possess a diversity of skills, knowledge, and personalities to reach and teach every student at the school in all the areas that education occurs.
The mission of the school can be compromised by these same individuals allowing personal differences to overshadow the important job that they must accomplish together. The differences can be a lack of appreciation between staff members who have different skill sets. The differences can occur from viewing problems and solutions from different perspectives. The differing views can both lead to solutions, yet create conflict. The differences can arise from perceived unequal work loads or work ethics.
Regardless of the sources of conflict, a faculty that has difficulty working together will adversely affect communication and collegiality that is so necessary for school improvement and therefore student achievement. The faculty loses their focus and the common mission is lost.
Our project is to create culture on the faculty that respects the diversity found among it and then to grow that respect into a culture that supports each other, communicates with each other, and builds each other into the best team that they can be.